Aggressive white leghorn

[Slbeaty]

I have 9 hens, 2 leghorns, 2 easter eggers, 2 black australorp, 2red sex link, and 1 barred rock. All are 22-23 weeks, my leghorn was first to lay an egg and she lays one pretty much daily, the 2 sex link have started laying as well. I understand the pecking order and my leghorn is first in line no doubt, but she is so mean, attacks all of the other chickens when they try to eat. The 2 leghorns are my least favorite, they have never been personable like all of the rest, and honestly if she wasn't such a good layer I would probably give her away. Is it normal for her to be so hateful?

 

[smarsh2]

i am afraid this is the nature of the breed. they are not as friendly or as docile as many other breeds and they are aggressive. this behavior will likely subside some in time. they are at the age when the pecking order is being established. but she will likely always be more aggressive than you would prefer. you will likely find the EEs near the bottom. In time you will likely find the most aggressive hens will be a step or two from the bottom, they will pick specifically on the hen or hens below them. I suspect this is added effort to stay off the bottom or venting from a feeling inferiority. you have a good number of hens there. you could relieve the pressure with more leg room and/or extra feeding stations. she can't guard them all. i personally would never have leghorns in a backyard situation but that is a personal opinion. They can't be beat in the commercial egg world.

 

[Slbeaty]

That is what I was afraid of, this is our first time with chickens, lol. I do have 3 different feeding bins for them but they all seem to migrate to the one. I may eventually give the leghorns away, I just love all the other girls, I can just sit and watch them for hours. Thank you for the information

 

[Julia62]

We have 1 Leghorn, 1 EE, and 2 Wyandottes and the Leghorn (Mrs. Howell) is the most aggressive and definitely top chicken even though the EE (Ginger) in bigger.

They all do well eating and sleeping on the roost though.

 

[ShockValue]

You might try removing the leghorns from the group for a week. This will force them to re-establish the pecking order and knock them down a rung or 2.

 

[belindakinder04]

Removing them for a week does not work. They killed 3 of my EE's and links.
and blinded 1 and put pecking holes in her head. Although they are best Eggers, I think the table is there next and final roost.

 

[Chicken Heel]

The meanest rooster that I have ever had was a White Leghorn back in the late 1960's that I called Satan. He began as an Easter chick that had been dyed green. Another one dyed blue was not aggressive at all. The second meanest rooster I have owned is a Black Australorp who I call El Diablo. His beauty is about the only thing that has kept him alive and he is good with his nine hens. But I will not hatch any eggs from him.

 

[Coops Dad]

My lone surviving white leghorn (hawks got the others) is near the bottom of the pecking order; I have an Ameracauna that's boss hen for now but is being challenged by one or more of our RIRs. With 28 hens and 2 roosters, it's constant skirmishes for climbing the status ladder.

Yeah, I downsized our flock and sold/gave away some of our older hens and some breeds that weren't very productive. Went from somewhere around 65-70 to just 30.